{"id":332223,"date":"2026-08-28T21:56:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T21:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332223\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T21:56:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T21:56:28","slug":"ny-dirt-rent-freeze-suit-sees-new-venue-same-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332223\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Dirt: Rent Freeze Suit Sees New Venue, Same Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York\u2019s rent freeze lawsuit <\/a>has changed venues, but it hasn\u2019t found a friendlier audience.<\/p>\n

Last week, the city\u2019s Law Department won its effort<\/a> to move the case from Staten Island to Manhattan.<\/p>\n

It was a matter of legal jurisdiction, but also likely one of strategy. In Staten Island, the city\u2019s attorneys faced a conservative judge<\/a>. Meanwhile, almost all justices elected in Manhattan are Democrats. The move stood to benefit the city, assuming a Democratic jurist might be more open to arguments from the Mamdani administration about why a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments was appropriate \u2014 not that the city\u2019s attorneys would acknowledge that rationale.<\/p>\n

The city got what it wanted, but with an ironic twist. The case has since been assigned to Brendan Lantry, a Republican from Staten Island. Lantry was elected in his home borough, but seems to have been shuffled over to Manhattan, working out of Thomas Street.<\/p>\n

Lantry is the former chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party. At the time of his election, he was 35, the youngest judge in New York City history, according to SILive<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lantry hasn\u2019t been afraid to make enemies of Manhattan\u2019s progressives, previously making headlines in 2024 for slamming District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg had sought felony charges for two people who had been caught buying fake vax cards from a \u201cNew Jersey stripper,\u201d according to the New York Post<\/a>. Lantry dismissed the felony charges, and further went on to say that Bragg and his office routinely move to dismiss charges for former felons or those who could see their immigration statuses threatened.<\/p>\n

Lantry is set to have a key role in deciding how the case proceeds. First up will be deciding whether to grant the city\u2019s motion to dismiss the case, as well as whether tenant groups and landlords can intervene in the suit. Oral argument on that issue is scheduled for Sept. 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What we\u2019re thinking about: How are nonprofit affordable housing providers doing? Are they ready to take on distressed properties transferred from former \u201cbad actor\u201d landlords? If you run a nonprofit and would like to chat, I\u2019m at lilah.burke@therealdeal.com.<\/p>\n

A thing we learned: Manhattan-born actor Timothee Chalamet was the top-Googled celebrity in New York so far this year, according to a study from BetMGM Casino<\/a>. Chalamet\u2019s mother, Nicole Flender-Chalamet, is a broker for Corcoran.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere<\/p>\n

\u2014 The city broke ground today on the $36 million renovation and expansion of the Eastern Parkway Library, according to a press release from the mayor\u2019s office. Residents will have access to a temporary library this fall, \u201cthanks to Settlement Housing Fund, Amazon and IKEA,\u201d Linda Johnson, who heads the Brooklyn Public Library, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u2014 New York politicos are using AI to write their op-eds. Of the 54 opinion articles analyzed by New York Focus<\/a>, in nine cases, politicians, including \u201cthe governor\u2019s running mate, the mayor of Albany, and the chair of the Senate technology committee, acknowledged that they or a co-author used AI in producing 10 different articles.\u201d Only four denied using AI.<\/p>\n

\u2014 After the federal government shifted some of the burden of SNAP funding onto states, New York is shifting that burden onto counties. Those counties are weighing raising property taxes to make up for the shortfall, New York Focus reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

-Lilah Burke<\/p>\n

Closing Time<\/p>\n

Residential: The most expensive residential sale recorded Thursday was $11.2 million<\/a> for unit 11\/12A at 925 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side.<\/p>\n

Commercial: The most expensive commercial transaction was $30 million<\/a> for a 51-unit apartment building at 315 Siegel Street\/59 Bogart Street in East Williamsburg. T30 Capital sold the property after purchasing it for $39.5 million<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n

New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $8.8 million for a 1,435-square-foot condominium at Central Park Tower.<\/p>\n

Breaking Ground: The largest new building project filed was for a combined 224,687-square-foot, 297-unit property at 831-851 Rosedale Avenue and 829 Soundview Avenue in the Soundview section of The Bronx. Leandro Nils Dickson filed the permit on behalf of Westorchard Management.<\/p>\n

\u2013Matthew Elo<\/p>\n

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Rent freeze lawsuit to move to Manhattan from Staten Island, judge decides<\/p>\n

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NY Dirt: Who\u2019s who in the rent freeze lawsuit<\/p>\n

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